Defense News

Argentina Navy Chief fired after ARA San Juan submarine tragedy

ARGENTINA – Argentina has fired the head of its Navy a month after one of its submarines vanished with 44 crew members on board. Admiral Marcelo Eduardo Hipolito Srur was sacked by the country’s defence minister. The ARA San Juan was last heard from on November 15 when it reported a fire on board. A navy spokesperson said the message added that the issue was resolved. But it was still ordered to return to base at Mar del Plata.

The ARA San Juan has not been heard from since, despite a multi-national search effort some 250 miles off the Argentinian coast. Hopes for finding the submarine and its crew faded when the search passed 10 days, which was the amount of time the San Juan would have been able to sustain life with its limited oxygen supply.

U.S. Displays Weaponry It Says Proves Iran’s Influence

New UN report says investigators couldn’t definitively conclude missiles came from Iran. The U.S. for the first time publicly displayed what officials said were Iranian-made missiles, drones and other weaponry as proof of Tehran’s growing military influence in the Middle East.

At a hangar on an Air Force base in Washington, D.C.—where weapons remnants were on display— Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., said the debris pointed to Iran’s threat to the region. Pentagon officials exhibited the weaponry to make their case that Tehran is actively fomenting instability, arming Houthi rebels inside Yemen who in turn have used the arms against American allies, particularly Saudi Arabia. Iran has denied that it arms the Houthis.

Olli Ruutu appointed Deputy Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency (EDA)

The EDA Steering Board today appointed Mr Olli Ruutu as next Deputy Chief Executive of the Agency. He will take up his duties in March 2018.

Mr Ruutu is currently the Deputy National Armaments Director at the Finnish Ministry of Defence and Director of the Materiel Unit at the Resource Policy Department. He chairs the Defence Administration Commercial Board and the Export Control Advisory Group and is also Deputy Chairman of the Defence Materiel Steering Group, as well as a member of the Defence Forces’ Technology Board and the Defence Administration’s Industrial Cooperation Group. Also Mr Ruutu worked at the EDA between 2009 and 2014, in the Strategy and Policy Unit.

Mattis visits India to ask more help in Afghanistan

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis was in the Indian capital on Tuesday, marking the first visit to the country by a Cabinet-level official from President Donald Trump’s administration. In meetings with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other officials, Mattis was expected to focus discussions on security in Afghanistan, military technology and a possible deal on fighter jets. Over the weekend, the US Defense Department said that the “US views India as a valued and influential partner.” Last month, Trump urged India to help more with security efforts in Afghanistan, as Washington steps up its own military campaign against Taliban insurgents who have gained ground. (AP)

North Korea fires second ballistic missile over Japan

North Korea has fired a ballistic missile across Japan, creating new tension in the region after its nuclear bomb test less than two weeks ago. The missile reached an altitude of about 770km (478 miles), travelling 3,700km before landing in the sea off Hokkaido, South Korea’s military says. It flew higher and further than one fired over Japan late last month.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said his country would “never tolerate” such “dangerous provocative action”. South Korea responded within minutes by firing two ballistic missiles into the sea in a simulated strike on the North. US Secretary of State RexTillerson also condemned the launch and the UN Security Council will meet later on Friday, 15 September 2017, in New York at the request of America and Japan.

Libya will hold election next spring

Libya’s two main rival parties announced a cease-fire on Tuesday and said they intend to hold elections next spring after they met in Paris for negotiations mediated by French President Emmanuel Macron.

US Navy commissions Aegis-capable destroyer for Asian deployments

The US Navy has commissioned its latest Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, the USS John Finn, at the joint naval base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Stars and Stripes reported on Sunday, July 16, 2017. The 9,100-ton vessel carries a crew of roughly 300 people and is armed with the Aegis Baseline 9 ballistic missile defense system. It is expected to be deployed in Asian waters, according to Adm. Harry Harris, commander of US Pacific Command. The ship was named after John Finn, a Marine who received the first Medal of Honor of the WWII during the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has received Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu in Istanbul, the Turkish presidential press service said in a statement. The meeting took place in Istanbul’s Tarabya Presidential Residence, the press office said.

Details concerning the negotiations between the Turkish president and Russian defense chief haven’t been shared with the media.

In March of this year, Turkey’s military chief of staff, General Hulusi Akar, hosted a meeting of the heads of the US and Russian armed forces in the southern Turkish province of Antalya, where the top brass discussed security issues in Syria and Iraq.